Soulmates
by SaberTail
Summary: Little prompt thing I did on tumblr. Soulmate AU. Katanashipping.


From the time they were born, both Mikey and Donnie had the gift of color. And Leonardo was jealous. Soulmates. That's what lit the world up in fiery oranges and deep mysterious purples, and they were one another's. Leo tried not to think about it too much, but when Michelangelo described the green of Donatello's skin, and Donnie would talk about the sky blue of Mikey's eyes, it was a little hard to continue to focus on training. Not that he didn't try.

That's how he kept himself relatively stable for fifteen years, training as hard as he could in the art of ninjustu. Well that and because he had someone to relate with, someone who shared his feelings of envy, and the hint of desperation in his blood. Raphael. His heated brother ("Like the red in his mask!" Mikey piped up from the corner) with a cooler, sweeter center ("Like the honey gold in his eyes." Donnie would murmur from his workbench.) He had no soulmate either, and therefore no color. No way to describe his siblings better than they could even describe themselves.

Their father too was missing his color vision, but Leo thought that at least he knew what they looked like. Or he'd start too, and then feel sad, and then feel guilty. His love was gone, so the vibrancy of his world went too, and bringing it up to Master Splinter was like twisting a knife that had been imbedded in his chest years ago. Reopening the wound would cause a day or two of ugly, infected grief, and might even turn mild discretions into serious punishments. Best just not to risk it.

So, he stuck with Raph. Who really, for all his stubbornness and reckless behavior, understood. Not only because he couldn't see it, but because he never had been able to. When they were children, they would spend hours imagining anything beyond black and white, but would never really understand, even with descriptions from their two other brothers. They attempted again and again, Michelangelo with huge hand gestures and onomatopoeia and Donnie with carefully chosen words and with the help of sensations brought on by common house hold items, like ice cubes or the warmth of a flame. But still it remained an enigma to both of them. It was just hard to comprehend a sight you had never seen.

Usually though, as the turtles quickly learned from human media, a situation like their brothers' was nearly unheard of, and most found their soulmate later in life. That hope also kept Leo together. It'd happen one day.

Years passed on and holding onto that sliver paid off. For his brother, Raphael. Who happened upon a human hockey player, who was just as wild and reckless as he was. It took a little conversation to get past the whole… giant turtle thing, but Casey Jones' sight became colored too, and there was very little he could do to deny the connection. One fight against the purple dragons with Raphael watching his back and Casey was convinced.

So that just left Leonardo. He barely spoke to anyone in the days after Raph found Casey. Raphael was too excited, quickly comparing notes on colors with his new partner and his old brothers. So Leo sunk deeper into his swords' steel. His thoughts wandered while he trained, and he went from totally optimistic, to frighteningly saddened by his chances on meeting his own mate.

For three years he sat out on the fringes of his family. His master still understood, but again that understanding was a sad pity rather than a joyous conversation. So even with no one, Leonardo did not seek out his father. For three years he delved deeper and deeper into becoming the best ninja he could, until he felt more like a shadow than a person.

But in the end this helped him more than it hurt him. They weren't supposed to follow their father, yet when he protested, it was like usual. His brothers barely noticed he was speaking. His invisibility lead to him falling into step behind them, for protection more than anything. It wasn't long before they landed themselves into the Battle Nexus Tournament, entirely by mistake. Four against four. Warrior against warrior. But they earned their right to compete, and then their father's blessing to go through with the next rounds.

They made their way toward the arena next, and crowd that would celebrate the glory of their battles, but they paused to visit the past, to see the symbols of their master's, and his master's pinnacle of victory. Leonardo wasn't sure why he stayed in the hall of champions. The awe maybe? Maybe he wanted to prove himself. If he couldn't have love, he could hope for respect from his own master, and the great Master Yoshi. It felt like what he needed.

Then it didn't. He did not need to be attacked by highly trained assassins. Especially when they could slip into the walls, and reappear before his eyes. Still even with their tricky tactics, all those years of training were worth something, and he was able to fend his assailants off. For a while. Luckily he was able to get help when he needed it. In the form of… a rabbit? He couldn't tell, not until whoever they were, helped him too his feet, and introduced himself.

He bowed. "I am Miyamoto Usagi. Are you alright, kame?"

Leo peered into his eyes, and was shocked to find not black and white, but something else. He blinked, and leaned into the rabbit, much to close for comfort. "I-Is that…?" His hands shook, a slow, cautious smile spread to his face.

"Are you sure you're okay? Are you losing blood uh… did you say your name?"

"I'm Hamato Leonardo, and I think you're my soulmate." Okay maybe not his best moment, but being set upon by killers and meeting The One tended to lead to some pretty dumb choices.

Usagi looked shocked for only a second or two, before he shouted "Duck!" and tackled Leonardo to the floor. Then the samurai was back on his feet. "We shall talk about this whole 'soulmate' business later Kame, first, focus on the fight."

Not that he had a choice, with shuriken flying and swords slicing at his limbs, he was forced to use his full mental capacity to remember each kata, each kick and punch, and then execute it with precision. He didn't even have the time to marvel at the new colors around him. He was going to ask about them when he saw his brothers again. Their descriptions weren't too helpful after all, he couldn't tell red from purple or blue or orange. First though, he wanted the name of the color in Usagi's eyes.

"They're gone. Faded into the shadows." They stared up at ceiling, looking for movement in the darkness. Finally, Usagi sheathed his swords and the tension in Leonardo's shoulders relaxed.

"So what is it-"

"What color are your eyes?"

"Um… what?"

"Your eyes. What color are they?" Leonardo is smiling, but in a way that tells Usagi he's happy rather than joking.

"Pink last time I checked… but uh… why exactly… I mean wouldn't you know…?"

"Pink… so that's what it's like" Leonardo is beaming at this point, overjoyed, nearly giggling even.

By this time, Usagi is more freaked out than curious. "Right. I'm just going to…" He starts to walk away, hoping not encounter this strange kame again, and somewhat questioning if he's dreaming.

Leo grasps his hand. "You can see it now right? My eyes are blue apparently. That's what my brothers tell me."

Usagi raises a brow. "See what, exactly?"

"Color, of course. I can finally see it. It's amazing!"

"I've been able to see color my entire life. Is that supposed to change? I" And now the rabbit is back to curious. "Is that what happens in your dimension?"

Dimensions. Right. Leonardo nearly forgot he was in entirely different dimension after being caught up in all the excitement of fighting assassins and meeting his soulmate. His smile drops along with his heart and he mumbles "Right… that would explain it." To himself.

"Are you alright, kame?" He asks for the second time since they've met each other.

Again Leonardo doesn't really answer the question. "No… yes… I don't really know." He places his hand on his forehead, blinking… blinking water out of his eyes. Is he crying? He can't remember the last time he did that.

Then a flash of light. "Master Leonardo, here are your swords, fully repaired."

He takes them numbly. "Right. Thanks."

"Both of you are competitors. You should hurry. The next round of bouts will be starting soon."

Leonardo nods, steeling himself for the next fight as he always has. He slips back into the familiar feeling of fighting a crushing weight with his swords. He knows this won't actually help anything when he takes his first step toward the arena, but at least he's used to it.

What he doesn't know is that he and the rabbit next to him will soon be bonding over a poison dart and a plot for revenge.


End file.
